There are plenty of add-on boards and HATs for the Raspberry Pi that add functionality to the computer, from simple things like LEDs or motor controllers, to sensor suites and enterprise security. The MATRIX Creator is something a little different, though, adding a huge number of functions in a bid to open up development with the Raspberry Pi to IoT and beyond.

“The MATRIX Creator is an all-inclusive hardware device that connects to the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi and provides a means for any developer around the world to start making machine learning, computer vision, and Internet of Things applications within minutes,” explains Rodolfo Saccoman, CEO of AdMobilize, the company behind the MATRIX. “We see it as being a building block for the democratisation of IoT and AI. Just as how the iPhone created an all-in-one hardware device that allowed developers to unleash their creativity and build amazing apps, which in turn revolutionised the world, we see the MATRIX Creator doing the same thing for a multitude of industries such as smart homes, intelligent buildings, robotics, security, industrial control, smart retail, drones, custom maker projects, and many more.”

Components

• 8 MEMS microphone array (DIY Amazon Echo)
• FPGA (Xilinx Spartan 6)
• Microcontroller (ARM Cortex M3)
• Temperature sensor
• Ultraviolet sensor
• Pressure sensor
• 3D accelerometer
• 3D gyroscope
• 3D magnetometer
• Humidity sensor
• LEDs

IoT for all

Rodolfo believes the MATRIX is something anyone can use. With this in mind, the team have created an operating system based on Raspbian, MATRIX OS, that allows people to start programming the MATRIX straight away in JavaScript. “MATRIX Creator is great as both a teaching and a development tool, aimed at anything from a middle school computer class to hobbyists and universities,” Rodolfo tells us.

It’s taken a year to get this far in terms of development, and Rodolfo is delighted with the response to the board so far:

“The reactions have been incredible, truly surpassing our greatest expectations! Since we launched it at the National Maker Faire in June, we have received positive feedback and excitement from the community. While at the Faire, we won the National Maker Faire Editor’s Choice blue ribbon and have since been featured in magazines and websites. In addition, we completely sold out of our first batch of MATRIX Creators and since shipping them, we’ve had countless people on social media express their excitement about it and what they are going to use it for.”

Even though the MATRIX sold out in June, it’s available to purchase from the website; due to a lot of work from the team, they’ve managed to get the board priced pretty low at $99 (£76). You can find out more about it on their website.

“Our small team is so humbled by the love we have received from the Raspberry Pi and maker community,” Rodolfo concludes. “Our goal is to develop a powerful and user-friendly creation platform for people to create amazing, intelligent things… we think machine intelligence and Internet of Things can be for everyone!”